Norsk Dor, Sydney CBD

I have fond memories of my travels through Scandinavia, although I remember the price of a meal was near astronimical, especially on a uni student budget. I was very excited to discover a Nordic restaurant has opened in Sydney, called Norsk Dor​.

To get to the restaurant, you must first find the nondescript entrance on Pitt Street, walk down a very long flight of stairs followed by an equally long, stark hallway. Inside the restaurant is a dimly lit, intimate, warm space, complete with kangaroo skin throws draped across the back of the timber dining chairs. 

We started with the Gravlax topped with roe, dill and mustard. It was fresh and light, complimenting our other starter, the roasted Bone Marrow.

Gravlax/ hard bread/ roe/ dill/ mustard $17

The roasted Bone marrow was delicious, I only wished there was a little bit more of it. The dish is served with a glass of akvavit (a Scandinavian liquer similar to Cognac) to cut through the fattiness, but it was a little too strong for me. The homemade rye bread, on the other hand, was great to sample the bone marrow with.

Bone marrow/ akravit/ rye $17

The Venison sampler is one of Norsk Dor's signature dishes and it had so much going on. It was a great dish for sharing. The venison was done three ways:  there was the pulled venison topped with potato crisps; the seared tenderloin paired with a carrot puree and my favourite, the smoked backstrap. The smokiness really permeated through the meat without being overpowering, and the meat was perfectly cooked. I liked the fresh fig and blue cheese but not sure whether it really belonged to this dish.

Venison sampler/ root veg/ fennel/ berry/ carrot $44

We got the Hasselback potato as a side. This is another Scandinavian specialty, where cuts are made into the potato before it's roasted and served topped with rye crumb. It had a lovely crunch but I found that it lacked a bit of seasoning.

Hasselback potato $6

The Swedish chocolate cake, on the other hand, was moist and light, with an intense chocolate cake. Served with ice cream and berries, we scraped the plate clean!

Swedish chocolate cake

The other dessert we tried was the ​Mulled wine poached pear with beetroot sorbet and anglaise. Great combination of flavours and definitely a perfect dessert for winter. 

Poached pear with beetroot ice-cream and creme anglaise $10

Norsk Dor is a welcome addition to the Sydney food scene and we had a lovely dining experience. The staff were incredibly friendly, some of the best customer service I have had in a while.

Note: Since my dining experience here, Norsk Dor has changed their menu structure and now offers a set menu that changes daily.